Dirt loader



May 26, 1925. 1,539,144

P. A. PRICE DIRT LOADER Filed Jan. '7- 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 26, 1925.

P. A. PRICE DIRT LOADER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. '7. 1924 attozueq May 26, 1925.

P. A. PRICE DIRT LOADER Filed Jan. '7. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITEDSTATES ron'r'a. Peron, or RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA.

DIRT Leanna.

Application filed January-7, 1924. Serial No. 684,813.

To all whom it may con 0cm:

Be it known that 1, PORT A; PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of ContraCosta, State of Cahfornia, have lnvented certain places.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the amount of dirt scooped up is delivered to the conveyor in a constant stream of uniform dimensions.

Another object'is to provide a device of this character wherein-the dirt is delivered to the elevator buckets'when said buckets are in lnclined position, thereby obviating loss of spilling of the dirt experienced in the ordinary devices of this class where the buckets dig into the mass of dirt being'lifted by the digging blade or'shovel.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. I r In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine of this type, made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical long-i tudinal central sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referringparticularly to the accompanying drawings, there is shown a frame which includes the longitudinal side bars 10 and the transverse connecting and spacing bars 11. At a suitable distance from the rear end, the side bars are offset outwardly, as at 12, and thence extended rearwardly in parallel relation, as shown at 13. Between these portions 18, and against the offset portions 12, there is disposed the dirt receiving box 14, said box having its upper side open, and being provided with a door 15 in the lower portion of its rear wall. In the upper portion of the front wall of the box there is formed a recess 16, to which reference will be made'later herein. The box is properly secured tothe bars 10, as by means of the rivets 17. Extending from the upper portion of the front wall of the box, to the intermediate portions of the side bars 10, a

"brace arm18. Extending from the sides of the box, and connected thereto, andto the rearends of the bars 10, are the brace arms 19.. Properly supportedin the rear ends of the-bars 10, beneath-the box, is a transverse axle or shaft 20, on which is supported a mm PATENT OFFICE. v

roller 21, thebottom of the box being formed 7 V on aline which curved in conformity upper portion of the roller.

Secured to th to the front wall of the box, and arranged-- at opposite sides of the recess 16, are the'bearing brackets 22, which support the transverseshaft 23. Disposed longitudinally ofthe machine, and in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position, is the ing throughthe recess 16, andlre'ceiving therethrough the said .shaft23, whereby said frame 2 1 ofan elevator, said frameextend- 2 theframe of the conveyor or elevatoigis dis posed between the side bars-10, in close relation to the surface of the ground. Mounted for rocking movement on the forwardiend of the main frame, is a rock shaft 24;,the

intermediate portion of which is formed H with a crank '25, and pivotally connected to this crank is a depending link 26, which has its lower end connected with the frame of the elevator. On the shaft 24 there is fixed an operating lever 27, by means of which the shaft may be, rocked to raise and lower elevator frame.

The lower ends. of the side boardsof the elevator frame are formed with the upwardly and forwardly extending enlargements 28, and disposed through the extremities of said enlargements is a transverse shaft 29 which supports a ground engaging roller 30. Secured to the elevator frame, beneath the lower end, and spaced in concentric relation to the lower rear portion of the roller 30, is a digging blade or shovel 31.

Rotatablyfsupportedin the ends of, the elevator frame, at the upper and lower ends, respectively, are the transverse shafts 33 and 34, andmonnted on the end portions of the shafts, inwardly of'the sides of the elevator frame, are the sprocket wheels 35.;

Engaged around these sprocket "wheels are the conveyor ehains'36, and secured tothe chains and extending transversely therebetween, are the conveyor buckets3 7. It will be noted that these buckets flare toward their forward portions, and include aback Vertical wall, a bottom, and the approximately triangular end walls. Carried by the upper portions of the side walls otthe box, are the upwardly extending brackets 38, and rotatably supported in these brackets is a transverse shaft 39-, carrying on one end a sprocket wheel 1-0. On the corresponding end of the rear ground roller 21 there is secured a large sprocket wheel 41, and engaged around; the sprockets 40 and 41 is a drive chain 42. ()n the adjacent end of the upper shaft 33, ot the conveyor is a sprocket wheel 43,. oi a; diameter approximately equal to that of the wheel 40, and engaged with this wheel 43 is, the lower or forward lap of the drive chain, 42, and

whereby motion is transmitted to the elee vator chains 36., On the upper shaft 33,,cb

tween the sprockets 35 and 4-3-,-there is. located a clutch means 44, thesame being o-perable by means of a lever 45, mounted onthe side of the elevator vframe of the Ina-- chine, and connected to said lever by the link 46. A seat t? is mounted on the front. portion of the main frame, torthe drive-r, while the extremefront end of the frame is supported on the wheeled truck 48.

It will be noted that the curved portion of the blade 31 extendsv upwardly so that the dirt which is driven thereon'willfall onto the buckets of the conveyor at the time when the buckets are in their inclined position, and moving upwardly on the upper side of the chain. Thus the'buckets are not required to dig their way through, and tend Mounted. on, and extending transverselybetween the side boards of the elevator frame, and at the lower" ends thereof, is a scraper blade 50, the free edge of which engages the peripheral face of. the roller 30, to remove the soil therefrom, and maintain the same in a clean condition, and thereby prevent change of the space between the roller and the shovel.

- lVhat isclaimed is:

A dirt elevating device including an endless inclined conveyor, a, curved digging element mounted in advance of the lower end of the conveyor and. adjacent thereto, guiding means between the digging element and the end of the conveyor for guiding the dirt onto the conveyor, and a packing roller mounted above the digging element, and having its periphery concentric with the upper face thereof for packing the dirt immediately prior to. its. passage to the conveyor.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signati1;1'e,.in the presence of two witnesses.

I 7. PORT A. PRICE.

Vitnessesz;

Mrs. IDA. Barre, HU H D UGH RIY. 

